cidic League of Olynthus situated in Thrace, and razing the city of Olynthus. Athens had been supporting Olynthus with military aid, and they had lost the battle. Athens, in a hurry to end the conflict, proposed a peace treaty that Philip eventually accepted. From this point, it seemed as though Philip had endeared himself in the hearts of the Athenians. They followed his progress as if he was the leader of their own state. Few saw Philip’s strategy, few knew his goal of securing all of Greece as his own. One man who saw the threat that Philip posed was an orator called Demosthenes. Demosthenes made speech after speech, which came to be known as Philippics, imploring Athens to take a stand against Macedon before it was too late. Demosthenes first Philippic reads as follows: “ Observe, Athenians, the height to which the fellow’s insolence has soared: he leaves you no choice of action or inaction; he blusters and talks big… he cannot rest content with what he had conquered; he is always taking in more, everywhere casting his net round us, while we sit idle and do nothing. When, Athenians, will you take the necessary action? What are you waiting for? Until you are compelled, I presume. But what are we to think of what is happening now? For my own part I think that for a free people there can be no greater compulsion than shame for their position.” In this speech it can be seen how Philip was gradually gaining the Athenians loyalty and trust, while empowering himself with his political and military strategy elsewhere. Philip knew that by befriending the largest power in Greece, he would be safe from them until the time was right, and once Athens had fallen, all of Greece would become Macedonia. Eventually, Demosthenes prevailed. Athens ended its long quarrel with the Thebes and the united armies attacked Philip. The resultant battle was at Chaeronea, where Philip and the army he had created crushed the Greeks...
